(New York, NY. 10/27/2018) – In the wake of the horrific mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh that was perpetrated by a White Supremacist, Majlis Ash-Shura: Islamic Leadership Council of New York denounces this act of terrorism and would like to extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims. Unfortunately, when supremacist ideologies are allowed to fester for decades, many communities suffer as a result.
This heinous crime against the members of the Tree of Life synagogue accompanies a list of violence that’s been committed in the name of patriotism and white supremacy in recent years, such as the Charleston and Chapel Hill shootings, before it. Structural racism in America has been violently affecting minorities, especially the African-American community, for a long time. Although the African-American community has been suffering from this violence for decades, there has been an alarming rise in white nationalist rhetoric that’s been normalized in the mainstream. The result of this rise has been the dehumanization of other minority communities; namely, immigrants, Muslims, and Jews.
While saddened by this news, we pray for the safety of all concerned and vulnerable communities. We urge all communities to take the appropriate measures needed to protect themselves from these senseless attacks and to not allow bigotry to prevent us from continuing the struggle against injustice.